1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to electronic circuits, particularly to an improved technique for retrieving data from sequential-access memory devices.
2. Description of Background Art
In the area of electronic circuit design, various memory devices are used for storing digital data. Data stored in conventional memory devices are accessible either randomly (i.e., from various storage locations in the memory device, which are not necessarily sequentially located) or sequentially (i.e., from consecutive, neighboring storage locations).
Generally, faster access times are achievable from sequential access-type devices rather than from random access-type devices, particularly when data are read from sequential storage locations. However, as system performance requirements continue to increase, there is a need to provide faster techniques for retrieving data from sequential-access memory devices.